The present invention relates generally to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to a method of creating a semiconductor device using graphene for self-aligning deposition processes.
A crystalline allotrope of carbon, graphene is formed by a honeycomb or hexagonal structure of a layer of carbon atoms. Graphene has many unique electrical, optical, and mechanical properties that make graphene one of the most studied materials for semiconductor devices in recent years. The unique properties of graphene provide numerous opportunities for potential applications in semiconductor device manufacturing.
Graphene provides the highest room temperature electrical conductivity of any known substance while also providing superior mechanical properties for semiconductor device manufacture. The graphene lattice structure provides a tensile strength of 130 giga Pascal and is stronger than structural steel and Kevlar®. Additionally, graphene in a single atomic layer is conformal and drapes over semiconductor device features such as gates. The ability of graphene to conform to various semiconductor device features is especially advantageous for the formation of nanometer-scale semiconductor devices commonly using three-dimensional structures. Typically, graphene is deposited on a metal foil or carrier using a deposition process such as chemical vapor deposition. The graphene layer or layers can be transferred to a target substrate such as a semiconductor substrate. In some cases, graphene is deposited directly on a substrate with a metal or metal catalyst as a growth surface by chemical vapor deposition. Graphene provides a chemically inert surface that is resistant to many of the processes that etch silicon and other semiconductor materials. Additionally, graphene can be used as a mask for various deposition processes, such as atomic layer deposition, in semiconductor device manufacture due in part to the ability of graphene to conform to various semiconductor device features while providing a chemically inert surface resistant to material deposition.